Islamic Traditions PDF

Islamic Traditions Prepared by: IDr. Diane Arnette A. Bacong http://www.free-powerpoint-templates-design.com Islamic Influence  Islamic Influence 622 C.E. - Mohammed made his historic trip from Mecca to Medina; the date that begins the Musl...

Islamic Traditions Prepared by: IDr. Diane Arnette A. Bacong http://www.free-powerpoint-templates-design.com Islamic Influence  Islamic Influence 622 C.E. - Mohammed made his historic trip from Mecca to Medina; the date that begins the Muslim calendar Islamic religious belief was spread in the Near East, taking in Syria, Persia (now Iran), Egypt, and most of coastal North Africa The last remnants of the Eastern Roman Empire came under Islamic control, bringing about Islam’s spread into the Turkish lands along the Mediterranean coast, finally to include Spain  Architecture Emerged in Muslim-majority countries and lands conquered by Muslims during the Middle Ages. In addition to Arab states—like Algeria, Egypt, and Iraq—Islamic architecture is also prevalent in European regions with Moorish roots, including parts of Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Malta. Radiant colors Rich patterns Symmetrical silhouettes  Key Characteristics Avoidance of any depiction of human, animal, or plant forms Floral representations Geometric designs Calligraphy  Mosques Key structure in any Islamic community Not a “house of God” but rather a prayer hall, where the faithful assemble to pray, facing toward Mecca, and to hear readings from the Koran PARTS OF A MOSQUE MINARET  a spire or tower-like structure featuring small windows and an enclosed staircase  one of the oldest elements of Islamic architecture  found next to most mosques  a high point from which a call to prayer can be made to summon worshipers to the mosques several times each day Court of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo: Pavel Dobrovsky via Shutterstock) DOMES  Like many pioneering architectural movements— including Byzantine and Italian Renaissance building traditions—Islamic architects also incorporate domes into their designs.  Dome of the Rock - first Islamic building to feature this architectural element PENDENTIVES  tapered structures that allow a circular base for a round or elliptical dome to be placed on a square or rectangular room  often decorated with tiles or muqarnas, a type of sculptural decoration. MUQARNAS VAULTING  Due to their sculptural composition and patterned aesthetic, Muqarnas are often compared to stalactites or honeycomb.  In addition to domes and pendentives, this unique ornamentation also adorns vaults, culminating in monochromatic, sculptural ceilings that contrast the surrounding tiles. ARCHES  evident in both entrances and interiors  POINTED ARCH – features a rounded design with a tapered apex  OGEE ARCH – is similar to the pointed arch; its point is composed of two s-shaped lines, culminating in a more sinuous silhouette.  HORSESHOE / KEYHOLE ARCH – associated with Moorish architecture; its crown can be either rounded or pointed; defined by the dramatic widening and narrowing of its sides  MULTIFOIL ARCH – characteristic of Moorish architecture; features multiple foils, or “leaves,” resulting in a scalloped shape. Islamic Influence In Spain Islamic Influence in Spain Crusades (1095-1144) – brought awareness of near Eastern culture into central Europe Military invasion Cordoba, Spain – largest medieval city Islamic influence coexisted with Christian and Jewish culture until the time of Inquisition (1233) Medieval Spanish work – coexistence of Romanesque direction emanating from Southern France and the Islamic or “Moorish” work coming from the East via North Afirca THE GREAT MOSQUE OF CORDOBA  Known locally as Mezquita-Catedral  one of the oldest structures still standing from the time Muslims ruled Al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia including most of Spain, Portugal, and a small section of Southern France) in the late 8th century  Temple  Church  Mosque  Church  The building itself was expanded over two hundred years (785-987)  It is comprised of a large hypostyle prayer hall, a courtyard with a fountain in the middle, an orange grove, a covered walkway circling the courtyard, and a minaret that is now encased in a squared, tapered bell tower. HYPOSTYLE HALL  Large prayer hall  Use of long rows of columns (total of 860)  Horseshoe arches that are striped with alternate voussoirs of red brick and gray- white stone (seemingly endless repetition  The expansive prayer hall seems magnified by its repeated geometry. It is built with recycled ancient Roman columns from which sprout a striking combination of two- tiered, symmetrical arches, formed of stone and red brick. MIHRAB  The focal point in the prayer hall is the famous horseshoe arched mihrab or prayer niche  framed by an exquisitely decorated arch behind which is an unusually large space, the size of a small room  Gold tesserae create a dazzling combination of dark blues, reddish browns, yellows and golds that form intricate calligraphic bands and vegetal motifs that adorn the arch HORSESHOE ARCH  The horseshoe-style arch was common in the architecture of the Visigoths, the people that ruled this area after the Roman empire collapsed and before the Umayyads arrived.  The horseshoe arch eventually spread across North Africa from Morocco to Egypt and is an easily identified characteristic of Western Islamic architecture (though there are some early examples in the East as well). DOME  Covers the square Maksura (a special area for the prayers of a leader) and Mihrab  built of crisscrossing ribs that create pointed arches  lavishly covered with gold mosaic in a radial pattern  This astonishing building technique anticipates later Gothic rib vaulting, though on a more modest scale   Built in 12th century as a synagogue  Arcades of Moorish arches  The interior is divided into five aisles by four arcades of seven horseshoe arches, supported by twenty-four octagonal columns and eight engaged columns.  Patterns are developed in carved stone and plaster S. MARIA LA BLANCA IN TOLEDO PALACE OF ALHAMBRA AT GRANADA  Built chiefly between 1238 and 1358  palace and fortress of the Moorish monarchs  The splendid decorations of the interior are ascribed to Yūsuf I (died 1354). After the expulsion of the Moors in 1492, much of the interior was effaced and the furniture was ruined or removed.  Charles V, who ruled in Spain as Charles I (1516–56), rebuilt portions in the Renaissance style and destroyed part of the Alhambra in order to build an Italianate palace designed by Pedro Machuca in 1526 COURT OF THE LIONS  Patio de los leones  the innermost and most private courtyard of the Nasrid Palace was popularly believed as reserved for the ruler and his harem  of all the courtyards in the Alhambra, this is the most “feminine” in its intimacy, beauty, delicacy and proportion  Connected to the Court of the Myrtles through a corridor  In the centre of the courtyard water sparkles from a fountain basin to fall through the mouths of twelve stylised lions into four streams that run towards the colonnaded sides  Light and slender pillars gather together in a pavilion at each end of the patio around tiny fountains.  Pillars support Muqarna (honeycomb) arches COURT OF THE LIONS  These muqarnas break up the contours of the arches into small, three- dimensional, decorative elements which merge with the surrounding geometric, vegetal and calligraphic ornamentation COURT OF THE MYRTLES  The present entrance through the Oratory leads to the Patio de los Arrayanes (Court of the Myrtles)  This court is 140 feet (43 metres) long by 74 feet (23 metres) wide  In the centre is a large reflecting pond set in the marble pavement.  The brilliant green of the pond and the manicured myrtles growing along its edges provide a sharp contrast to the white marble of the surrounding courtyard. Islamic Furnishings  I S L A M I C FURNISHINGS Minimal use of furniture Low benches or couches were generally covered by textiles, carpets and rugs Oriental rugs – mostly intended for kneeling worshippers at daily prayers Prayer rugs are of appropriate size and incorporate a panel with a strongly directional form, intended to be pointed towards Mecca when in use for prayer ANATOLIAN RUGS  From a region of Turkey  Usually with geometric patterns PERSIAN RUGS  Persia introduced conventionalized animal and plant images alongside geometric patterns  Wide borders are made up of repeated figures  Central area often uses a medallion element  Red and blue color tones joined with yellows and greens TURKISH RUGS  Persian in character CAUCASUS RUGS  Follows Persian practice but tends to introduce bolder and larger motifs BOKHARA-STYLE RUGS  Red background with a regular pattern of octagonal lozenge elements arranged in geometric rows ANTIQUE ORIENTAL RUGS  Usually of a unique design I N D I A  India In the Indus Valley from about 2700 BCE, large cities were built on orderly geometric grid plans Mohenjo-Daro – the only city were baked brick walls survived Houses were built with solid exterior walls, with a single door and passage giving access to an interior court onto which all interior rooms opened  India Austerely functional, without any traces of decorative ornament Color and ornament came from woven hangings of strong color 1500 BCE – Indus civilizations were wiped out by invaders, usually identified as Aryans Wood was a primary building material Masonry materials came into use for important monumental structures such as temples Buddhist Architecture Buddhism – India’s official religion in the third century BCE Earliest surviving Buddhist interiors are preaching halls cut into solid rock to create interior architecture that is without any corresponding exteriors CHAITYA HALL IN KARLE  The largest of the cave temples  situated at Karle in Pune district of Maharashtra  said to have been sculptured between 100-125 A.D  cut off of a solid rock to a depth of about 124 feet  It is 40 metres long, 15 metres high and 15 metres broad CHAITYA HALL IN KARLE  37 octagonal pillars of remarkable beauty  Each column rests in a water jar  Some of these pillars have capitals on the top  The capitals have figures of elephants kneeling on bell shaped bases. CHAITYA HALL IN KARLE  An imposing stupa with a wooden umbrella on top at the inner end  Huge horseshoe arch at the outer end of the opening of the cave  The whole structure appears to rest on the backs of the elephants with metal ornaments and ivory tusks ELLORA CAVE TEMPLES  Western India  4th to 12th centuries AJANTA CAVES  Western India  Vihara – rock-cut interior; Buddhist monastery  The monastery has many small rooms, the cells of monks surrounding a large pillared hall  Columns and lintels with elaborate carving are cut into the native rock of this vihara.  The caves at Ajanta are famous for their decorative details and colorful murals. Hindu Architecture Brahamism – a branch of Hindusim; produced in later centuries temples that were buildings of a symmetrical plan, with a statue of a deity at one end of the internal hall Corbeled stone roof over the interior Horizontal moldings were closely spaced on the tall, upwardly tapering exteriors, forming bands that were filled with sculptures of gods and other figures in every imaginable grouping and activity Planning was based on intricate geometry of squares with number relationships based on days of the week and the linear month A small central chamber or sanctuary is at the core of complex masonry construction of major proportion Columns and ceiling elements are invariably covered with geometric patterns and with figures of human and animal forms relating to the mystical concepts of Hindu beliefs MADURAI  Southern India  Temple city was developed between 12th and 16th centuries  Included halls, pools and many temples that appear as towers grouped together MADURAI  17th century hypostyle hall filled with columns carved with full- round figures of horses, lions, and human figures relating to royalty  These elements were painted in colors and, in part, gilded Surrounding a central temple complex, concentric rings of structures served everyday business and dwelling requirements The caste system, governing social divisions in India, acted as a basis for control of the design of houses, with the size and form of each house regulated by a strict code of rules Sudra caste – could build no higher than three-and a-half levels Brahmin caste – could build as high as seven- and a-half levels All house plans were based on a hollow square entered by a single door, leading into a central court that was surrounded by rooms opening on galleries Houses could be built also on one, two or three sides of a square plan, forming a single block, or an L or U shape as well as the more usual complete square Front and back doors had to be located according to an intricate code that, along with all possible plan locations led to a catalogue of 14,000 variations, each with its own name Modern Indian house-building generally follows a related pattern with all rooms on several levels facing into a central court. A Hindu palace would follow a similar concept on a larger scale ELEPHANTA ISLAND  Near Bombay  A mid-16th century temple to the Hindu god Shiva is also a cave space with a flat ceiling and columns in four rows  More than 40 carved human figures of giant size line the walls of the cave Jain Architecture MOUNT ABU  Temple city  Temple clusters of white marble, which each include a central sanctuary, surrounded by a walled enclosure lined with many small cell-like rooms opening onto a covered porch  ‘Dancing Pavilion’ TEJAPALA TEMPLE  Built in 10th century CE  A simple square made to appear complex by the many columns with their richly carved surfaces, which use carved rafter-like elements to support flat ceilings and a central come area of corbeled construction.  Figures of dancing girls cover many of the columns Northern and Southern Styles of Temples NAGARA STYLE IN NORTHERN INDIA  tended to produce taller temple structures, often taking on the external form of towers  Early sturctures were simple tent-like enclosures of bamboo built to protect idols of clay or wood  Stone construction then took over BRAHMESHVARA TEMPLE  Has an assembly hall in front of the sanctuary that towers above  Smaller towers stand in the same temple compound  The assembly hall is a lower structure, with a stepped profile  The tall sanctuary building has vertical external ridges covered with complex carved detail  Internally, the sacred tower has only a small space without decoration, but the outer hall has carved detail comparable to that of the exterior DRAVIDA STYLE IN SOUTHERN INDIA  Made up of a small enclosed cella dedicated to a god (usually Shiva) and surrounding collonades, porches and pavilions  Ellora Temple – built by carving from a solid rock; spacious pillared halls leads to the small dark square of the cella; these structures do not rise to a great height because they are cut out of a natural hillside Islamic Influence In India Islamic Influence in India Islamic of Mughal period 1206 – Islamic rule was established in India at Delhi Typical carved surfaces of Hindu structures were replaced by surface treatment using abstract geometric forms and the use of written inscriptions in Arabic calligraphy TOMB OF MAHMUD SHAH IN BIJAPUR  Southeast India  A square-building on a raised platform with fortress- like towers at its four corners  Internal walls are made up of a complex network of arches that fit an octagon within the square of the outside walls and support a dome that rises almost two hundred feet from the floor FATEHPUR SIKRI  Begun by the emperor Akbar the Great (1542 – 1605) in 1571 to act as a ceremonial capital  Consists of a complex of terraces, courtyards and buildings  Jama Masjid – a portion of the capital of Fatehpur Sikri (near Delhi, now abandoned). TAJ MAHAL  Tomb built by Akbar’s grandson, Shah Jahan, for his wife  The plan is a square that is symmetrical about two aces, with entrance openings on four sides  Internally, a complex pattern of spaces surrounds the central tomb chamber, which is topped by a huge bulbous (“onion”) dome, all in white marble  The dome rises to two hundred feet  Four tower minarets surround the main structure  Inside, pierced screens of marble, inlaid with jewels, are of a richly ornamental geometric patterning RED FORT IN DELHI  Palace of the Lal Kila  Under the direction of Shah Jahan  Fort is an enclosed rectangle, Walled by the red sandstone that gives the name to the structure  The main gate leads to a vaulted arcade, which in turn leads to the Diwan-i-Am, or Public Audience Hall RED FORT IN DELHI  The marble walls are inlaid with jewels, a form of decoration favored by the Mughal rulers, which had its origins in Florentine works in India because of trade between the regions RED FORT IN DELHI  There are forty pillars connected by scalloped arches RED FORT IN DELHI  Moti Masjid or Pearl Mosque - a mosque that was added to the palace complex in 1662  It was a private chapel built near the royal bed chamber  It is built in white- and gray- veined marble with an arcaded courtyard and a sanctuary of three chambers, divided by arches, and with domes above  The carving of the marble wall surface is restrained and austere GOLDEN TEMPLE / HARIMANDIR  At Amristar  Completed c 1765  Built due to the destruction brought by northern conflicts between the Islamic Afghans and Sikhs  It stands as an island in a sacred pool GOLDEN TEMPLE / HARIMANDIR  It is a 65-foot-square block of white marble with upper surfaces and a surmounting dome covered with plates of gold that give the building its informal name GOLDEN TEMPLE / HARIMANDIR  Ornament in bright colors and gold covers the walls of the chamber, which houses the holy book of the Sikhs that is read with musical accompaniment at certain hours of the day  Floors make use of elaborate patterns in marble, and walls are inlaid with jewels in rich colors  The decoration includes floral, animal, and human figurative elements, which were permitted by the Sikh religion as distinct from Muslim law Indian Furnishings  Indian Furnishings Furniture did not have major role in the interiors of historic India People would sit on low cushions and would sleep on pads laid on the floor The small, low tables and stools made of wood that were used have generally disappeared  Thrones are depicted in some carved reliefs of Buddhist origin, around the 2nd century CE. They appear as low platforms of wood or stone, sometimes with a low back  “Peacock Throne” of Shah Jahan – Mughal style  Larger beds, some chests, and low tables came into use but were never widely accepted  Wood was poor and temporary quality material in Indian climate  Ivory, stone or metal came into use for the small number of furniture objects made for the wealthy  With the growing European influences, more furniture came to be made in India, chiefly for export to England and other European countries, such furniture tended to follow European concepts, but with elaborate surface decoration in Indian styles  Carpets and textiles were dominant  Indian rugs and carpets – “oriental rugs”  Persian weaving was introduced to India under emperor Akbar  1580 – establishment of carpet factory in Lahore  Indian carpets followed Persian practice, although there is greater use of naturalistic plant and animal motifs. A red ground and blue border covered with patterns of flower forms is typical THANK YOU  Books: References Pile, J. & Gura, J. (2014). A history of interior design (4th Edition). USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Internet Sources: Condon, M. (2016, November 28). Key characteristics of Islamic art. Retrieved from http://languages.oberlin.edu/blogs/relg270/max-condon- key-characteristics-of-islamic-art/ Mirmobiny, S. The great mosque of Cordoba. Retrieved from Khan Academy website: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art- history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/ap-art-islamic-world- medieval/a/the-great-mosque-of-cordoba Nayler, M. (2018, July 11). A brief history of the mosque-cathedral of Córdoba. Retrieved from Culture Trip website: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/the-history-of-the-mosque- cathedral-of-cordoba-in-1-minute-2/ Richman-Abdou, K. (2018, April 18). Dazzling elements of ancient Islamic architecture we still see today. My Modern Met. Retrieved from https://mymodernmet.com/islamic-architecture/ Synagogue of Santa Maria La Blanca. Retrieved from https://buffaloah.com/a/virtual/spain/toledo/maria/maria.html The Alhambra: Court of the Lions. Retrieved from https://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-architecture/alhambra-court-of- the-lions  Internet Sources: References (2019, December 19). Alhambra. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica website https://www.britannica.com/topic/Alhambra-fortress-Granada- Spain Chaitya at Karle. Retrieved from http://indiansaga.com/architecture/karle_arch.html